In order to facilitate high quantity manufacturing of electronic parts, various means of handling the devices during manufacturing have been developed. Typically, a rigid, flat metal or plastic matrix tray is used to transport devices through or between various processes needed to assemble and test the electronic devices. In use, the tray containing electronic parts will be fed into a manufacturing process. However, the parts usually must be removed from the tray by handling equipment in order to be processed. Additionally, these trays are processed one at a time within the manufacturing process. Since the tray holds a relatively small number of parts, only small batches of parts may be processed from one tray. Therefore, while such trays are convenient for storing and shipping electronic parts, they are cumbersome and relatively inefficient.
An alternative medium for handling electronic parts in a manufacturing process is a continuous tape. Such a tape will contain a number of electronic parts retained within the tape by various means. The tape will be wound onto a reel from which it will be fed into the manufacturing or handling equipment. However, such tapes have several drawbacks. First, the materials typically used to make the tape are not able to withstand high temperatures. Therefore, the tape is not suitable for conveying parts through processes that require high heat such as an epoxy curing process. Second, the tapes must release the parts under a relatively light pressure to avoid damaging the parts. Therefore, flexing of the tape should be limited since excessive flexing of the tape containing rigid or semi-rigid parts may cause the tape to release the parts. Finally, while the tapes typically provide easy access to the top and bottom of mounted parts, they provide little protection to the edges of these parts, as they move through the manufacturing process. Specifically, parts such as integrated circuits having a number of pins extending from the bottom of the part may be damaged during handling.